Will Miami Dolphins Locker Room Divide Over Mike Wallace?
By Brian Miller
Mike Wallace is either going to be a Miami Dolphin next season or he won’t be. That decision is not up to the players in the locker room it’s up to Joe Philbin and Dennis Hickey. The decision that is made on Wallace however could have a very lasting effect on this team in 2015 and may very well divide a locker room that doesn’t need any division.
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Last season there was talk of the locker room not being 100% behind offensive coordinator Bill Lazor. Later in the year the defensive side of the ball began to split over Kevin Coyle and there has been talk of a split regarding the support of Ryan Tannehill in the locker room. In what is now becoming obvious, Wallace’s future in Miami is literally anyone’s guess.
The tweet by Albert yesterday shows that the players who speak to each other know nothing about what is going to happen with the wide-receiver. It’s likely that Albert, who is coming along quick in his ACL rehab, has spoken with Wallace about his future and that he himself may not know his future. It’s very likely he does not. The topic and tweet has generated a lot of conversation over on Finheaven.com.
None of this would be an issue if it weren’t for the final season game against the New York Jets when Mike Wallace reportedly quit on his team, or was benched for other reasons. All that we know at this point is what Branden Albert knows. Nothing. In the last month since the seasons end, we have heard Joe Philbin say nothing on the matter, Dennis Hickey dance around the subject, and even owner Stephen Ross tell the media that no one knows.
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History is not on Wallace’s side in this though. In 2012 Joe Philbin asked Jeff Ireland to trade cornerback Vontae’ Davis who reportedly showed up to camp out of shape and at time with alcohol on his breath. Davis was shipped to the Colts. He wasted no time releasing Chad Johnson after a domestic violence incident but continually spoke with the wide-out about his language and attitude. Following the 2012 season the Dolphins opted not to re-sign Reggie Bush and Jake Long and traded Davone Bess during the draft. All three were on the teams player leadership council that they wanted to start. Karlos Dansby who was outspoken about the team was also let go.
Wallace is a hot topic in Miami that won’t die down until we know his future with the team. If they do indeed hope to get rid of him their best bet would be to wait until June 1st and see what they can get in free agency and the draft to replace him. If they can’t fill that hole then they can leave him there. It could get ugly.
If the Wallace issue becomes a bigger issue you can expect the locker room to indeed begin to divide over where the support lies within the teams coaching structure. Unfortunately if the locker room does begin to dissolve, Joe Philbin isn’t the type of coach who can fix it. The good news however is that the NFL is a business and the players realize that business decisions are made that are intended to better a team. The problem is that releasing Wallace may not be something that is intended to better the team. At least not on the surface.